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Virtue is the habitual, well-established, readiness or disposition of man's powers

directing them to some goodness of act. Virtue is moral excellence of a man or a

woman. As applied to humans, a virtue is a good character trait. It is something practiced

at all times.The virtue of perseverance is needed for all and any virtue since it is a habit

of character and must be used continuously in order for any person to maintain oneself in

virtue (“Virtue”). There are two famous philosophers that have many views on the

subject of virtue and they are Confucius and Aristotle. Their teachings lead a lot of

people into a better life or as Confucius said the practice of right living. (“Confucius-Lecture on Confucius and Self Knowledge”)Confucius was born in 551 B.C., in at that time was called Lu, which is now the province of Shang-tung. His father was an elderly warrior who married a young peasant girl to have a son. Confucius from the young age of three had to labor for his family due to his father’s death. Because of his natural aptitude for learning, he still managed to find time to purse his studies (“Confucianism”). At the age of seventy-two in the year 479 B.C. Confucius woke early walked outside his home in Qufu, as legend tells us, and tells his disciples he wished to speak no more. He then went inside laid down and died seven days later (Freedman pp.33-34)

Aristotle was born around 200 years after Confucius in the year of 384 B.C. in Stagira, a “Grecian colony. His father was a court physician to the King Amyntas of Macedonia. It is believed that his purse of studies is due to his father’s influence of practicing medicine (“Aristotle”). He died at his country house at Chalcis, in Euboea at the age of sixty-two years old in the year of 322 B.C. He died to an illness he suffered from for a long period of time. There were legends that told his death to be because of hemlock poisoning, as well as another legend, it was said he couldn’t explain the tides so he threw himself into the sea (“Aristotle”).

Confucius’ ideals about virtue are very long and complicated indeed, as well as Aristotle’s ideals. They both are alike in a lot of their views but they are different in others. Confucius himself did not make any pretension to possess virtue and wisdom in their fullness as he had stated, but his love of virtue and wisdom there is no question. He was a man of affection, sympathetic and most considerate of others (“Confucianism”). According to Confucius the morally superior person from birth should possess five inner virtues and acquire two outer ones. The five virtues are righteousness, inner integrity, love of humanity, altruism, and loyalty. One should also acquire culture and a sense of decorum (Cunningham, Lawrence and Reich p.184). Aristotle was a man a high-minded, kind hearted man devoted to his family and his friends. He was a man who followed the ideals he outlined in his ethical treatises (“Aristotle”). He had out of all the Greek moralists, the most psychologically insightful account of virtuous character (“Moral Character”). Aristotle’s ideals of virtue were wisdom, gentleness, courage, sobriety, self-control, righteousness and liberality (“Aristotle, Virtues and Vices”).

...circled within the most influential sage, Confucius. The word “Shu: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself,” expresses one rule that any individual could follow and practice (176). It encompasses areas of one’s life like intellect, relationships and behavior, but more importantly it begins to describe the concept of virtue and we can obtain it. In view with Confucius, virtue can be defined as...

...Aristotle's Virtue Ethics
The philosophy of virtue ethics, which primarily deals with the ways in which a person should live, has puzzled philosophers from the beginning of time. There are many contrasting interpretations regarding how one should live his or her life in the best way possible. It is in my opinion that the Greeks, especially Aristotle, have exhibited the most logical explanation of how to live the "good life". The following paper...

...Confucius: The Concept of Jen
Confucius was not a religious teacher but rather an ethical thinker whose aim was to improve moral and social order. He believed all aspects of life flow from an ethical core and to achieve moral and social order, one must look within oneself. Some of the key concepts emphasized in Confucianism are: the concepts of Good (jen), Ritual (li), Virtue (te, or moral power), and the Gentleman or “superior man” (chun-tzu)....

...Aristotle believes that we need virtue, both of thought and of character, to achieve that completeness leading to happiness. This is the function: activity in the soul in accord with virtue, where soul is defined as what is in us that carries out our characteristic activity. Aristotle is right in believing we need virtue.
The end of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Book I introduces the idea that since happiness is...

...text introduces two of the basic themes of the work: what qualities are desirable in a human being and how morality can be reflected in one's behavior. Different translations offer various interpretations of some of the language from the texts, but "virtue" is a recurring quality that is revisited many times. Some translations may introduce the term chun-tzu or junzi, translating as "prince" or "gentleman" respectively. In either case, the terms refer to a person of superior...

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Introduction: Aristotle’s Definition of Happiness
“Happiness depends on ourselves.” More than anybody else, Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. As a result he devotes more space to the topic of happiness than any thinker prior to the modern era. Living during the same period as Mencius, but on the other side of the world, he draws some similar conclusions. That is, happiness depends on the...

...Jacob Press 10/22/12
World Civ 1 Confucius essay
Confucius was a philosopher, a teacher and a political figure. Confucius was born in 551 B.C. in Tuo, China. He founded Confucianism, which became a model for the way Chinese society developed over the centuries. Confucius died in 479 B.C. in Qufu, China. Today he is widely considered one of the most influential thinkers in Chinese history.
Confucius was...